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Drawing on our own experience, we reflect on the documented challenges of undergraduate supervision faced by qualitative researchers, and extend this discussion by further considering the issues raised by supervising projects that engage with critical perspectives. Concerns are identified regarding the dominance of traditional psychological thought in psychology programmes and the lack of teaching around critical psychology. We outline the implications for students embarking on critical qualitative projects and the additional demands placed on supervisors using examples within the fields of gender and sexuality. We end by emphasising the value of projects that require engagement with critical frameworks for students' future personal and professional development. The importance of teaching critical psychology and critical ideas as a staple and integrated part of the psychology curriculum is made clear.

Research suggests that intimate relationship violence and coercive control are prevalent in young people's relationships. Furthermore, young people often fail to recognise such behaviour as abuse. While such findings indicate the normalisation of controlling and coercive behaviours amongst young people, there is little focus on how these behaviours are normalised. This paper presents findings from a study exploring young people's experiences and expectations of intimate relationships. Focus groups were conducted with young people (aged 13 to 18 years) in schools in the West Midlands, England. Young people talked of navigating precarious and competitive heterosexual relationships. Their expectations and negotiations of these relationships often upheld and reinforced gender double standards around dating practices. Young people's discussion also highlighted how they came to accept and rationalise controlling and coercive behaviours as 'love', 'care' and 'protection', legitimising these practices as reasonable. Heteronormativity remains a dominant discourse shaping young people's experiences and expectations of relationships with coercion and control being defining features of this discourse. Supporting young people to critically examine constructs of heterosexuality and gender norms should be a key component of England's forthcoming statutory Relationship and Sex Education.

AbstractSexuality marking serves to assert one’s sexuality to others. This can be done through language, behavior, esthetics, and/or other non-verbal cues (Morgan & Davis-Delano, 2016). This research explored how individuals who identify as pansexual mark their sexuality within different contexts. An online qualitative survey was completed by 45 participants aged between 18 and 58. Thematic analysis revealed 3 key themes: ‘You just don’t want to risk it’: The importance of safety on sexuality marking, ‘My sexuality wasn’t real’: Dismissal and stereotyping of the pansexual identity within intimate partner relationships, and ‘I’m very loud and proud’. This research is understood to be the first study on sexuality marking among the pansexual community and advances the understanding of the ways in which pansexual individuals navigate and express their identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) in England has been the focus of critical scrutiny on several occasions, but there has been little attention paid to how teachers formulate their provision, especially given their crucial role in determining what is taught in the classroom. While current policy suggests that provision should be inclusive of sexual diversity, it simultaneously gives educators the scope to determine the form this takes. This is an important issue given the substantial impact that teachers' views and discourses have on what is taught. Using a discourse analytical framework, this study sought to examine how teachers of SRE formulate and account for their provision, with a particular focus on how their assumptions about young people's sexual health needs underpin their actions. Initially, teachers sought to formulate their activities in terms of an overall ethos, providing legitimacy for the key elements of their programme being aligned with official government health promotion strategy, as opposed to other areas such as pleasure and diversity. This was supported by their constructions of young people, particularly young women and individuals from "at risk" communities, as being particularly vulnerable.

Legislation that applies to UK SRE currently advocates inclusive provision. Given the nonstatutory status of SRE, however, it is unclear how teachers incorporate sexual inclusivity, especially as research has shown that teachers’ discursive practices can promote a heteronormative SRE climate (Renn, 2010). Using a discursive psychological approach to analyze interview data, this study examined how teachers account for their provision as inclusive. It was revealed that even when promoting their inclusivity, teachers’ SRE provision upholds heteronormativity. In doing this, they positioned LGB and same-sex practices outside of the classroom, potentially leaving these young people without a sufficient sex education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]